Method of maintaining or improving the skin health of an animal comprising administering as a dietary supplement a composition comprising flax seed oil and gamma linolenic acid

ABSTRACT

A phytochemical composition for use as a veterinary dietary supplement comprising alpha linolenic acid (ALA) and up to 10% gamma linolenic acid (GLA). Preferably the ALA source is flax seed oil and GLA is sourced from borage oil.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present invention relates to a veterinary phytochemical compositionfor use as a dietary supplement. The composition has a high omega 3fatty acid component and further includes an omega 6 fatty acid.Specifically, the composition comprises alpha linolenic acid (ALA) andup to 10% gamma linolenic acid (GLA).

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are polyunsaturated fatty acids and are theparent compounds of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid series. They areessential in the mammalian diet because there is no synthetic mechanismfor them within the body. Humans, for example, can easily make saturatedfatty acids or monounsaturated fatty acids with a double bond at theomega-9 position, but do not have the enzymes necessary to introduce adouble bond at the omega-3 or omega-6 position.

The omega 6 fatty acid, linoleic acid (LA) and omega 3 fatty acid,alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), are widely distributed in plant and seedoils while fish oils contain the longer-chain omega-3 fatty acidseicosapentenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexenoic acid (DHA). Other marineoils, such as from seal, also contain significant amounts ofdocosapentenoic acid (DPA), which is also an omega-3 fatty acid.Although the body can, to some extent, convert ALA into theselonger-chain omega-3 fatty acids, the omega-3 fatty acids found inmarine oils help fulfil the requirement of essential fatty acids.

The fatty acids identified above cannot be made in the body from othersubstrates and must be supplied in food. Hence, they are calledessential fatty acids. In the body, essential fatty acids are primarilyused to produce hormone-like substances that regulate a wide range offunctions, including blood pressure, blood clotting, blood lipid levels,the immune response, and the inflammation response to injury infection.They also play a key role in skin and coat health in animals such asdogs and cats.

Some of these fatty acids, such as ALA, are sensitive to heat and lightwhilst others, such as Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), are expensive.Therefore, they are rarely included in standard animal diet (completediets) as the manufacturing processes and cost restrictions make themdifficult to include in a product. The degradation of these EFAs inconventional foods leads to rancidity and reduced palatability.Therefore, the standard animal diet is often lacking in these essentialfatty acids, potentially having negative effects for the skin and coat.

Research into the need for improving the EFA status of dog diets,particularly in relation to skin and coat health, has been conducted bythe Applicant via two surveys, one with vets and the other with doggroomers. In both instances, the professionals identified that at least40% of dogs that they come into contact with have skin and coat problemsand could benefit from a dietary intervention targeted at improved skinand coat health. Accordingly, there is a need for a dietary supplementtargeted to improving skin and coat quality.

The current marketed pet care products for skin and coat condition arepredominantly curative products i.e. they are designed to treat negativeskin and coat conditions already present, and are predominantly targetedat reducing skin irritation and inflammation. In addition, a largeproportion of the products are rich in fish oil based omega 3 fattyacids (EPA and DHA), sometimes combined with an omega 6 fatty acidsource such as GLA, and general vegetable oils (sunflower or oilseedrape oil) which are high in LA.

The products also contain relatively low or none of the omega 3 EFA,ALA. It should be noted that in the wild, dogs could obtain ALA fromeating grass but, for many modern dogs, this is not a readily availablesource of ALA.

Rees et al, 2001 (Rees, C A; Bauer J E; Burkholder, W J; Kennis R A;Dunbar B L; Bigley K E; Effects of dietary flax seed and sunflower seedsupplementation on normal canine serum polyunsaturated fatty acids andskin and hair coat condition scores. Veterinary Dermatology 2001;12:111-117) conducted a double blind study on 18 dogs, supplementing thedog's feed with either flax seed (high in omega 3 fatty acids) orsunflower seed (high in omega 6 fatty acids). The authors noted anumerical increase in coat scores for both sunflower and flax, althoughthis improvement was not sustained beyond 28 days. An improvement inskin score was only noted for flax seed. It was also noted that theserum phospholipids concentrations of ALA (18:3 n3) were increased withflax seed, but not sunflower seed. In addition, the serum phospholipidsconcentration of LA (18:2 n6) increased faster in flax seed than insunflower seed.

LA is well known for its role in skin health and it is possible that theincreased accumulation of LA with flax seed consumption could play arole in skin health in this work. The authors speculate that the highlevel of ALA in the flax seed supplement (˜55%) may compete with LA fordelta 6 desaturase (which converts LA to other polyunsaturated fattyacids (PUFAs) in the omega 6 fatty acid chain). This means that,although more LA is available in sunflower seed (LA=75% in sunflowerseed and 15% in flax), with sunflower oil consumption, LA is convertedto other compounds that play less of a structural role in the skin. Onthe other hand, more LA is available to the skin when the animal is fedwith flax seed as the conversion to other omega 6 fatty acids is slowed.

In a separate paper from the same group (Bauer et al, 1998 (Bauer, J E;Dunbar, B L; Bigley, K E; Dietary flax seed in dogs results indifferential transport and metabolism of (n-3) polyunsaturated fattyacids; American Society for Nutritional Sciences. J. Nutr. 1998; 128:2641S-2644S), the authors fed flax seed and sunflower seed to 18 dogsand measured fatty acid profiles at various time points. For the flaxgroup, the phospholipid fraction was significantly increased for ALA, asmight be expected, but also for EPA. EPA is derived from ALA and playsan important anti-inflammatory role in the body. It competes witharachidonic acid (AA) for the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase and thus reduces theproduction of pro-inflammatory AA metabolites. The same paper alsoreported a reduction in the level of AA itself, which could bebeneficial for reducing inflammation.

Having realised the potential role of omega 3 fatty acids in nutritionfor coat and skin health, the Applicant identified a need to develop animproved dietary supplement based on a high content of omega 3 fattyacids that could be proactively used as a maintenance supplement forskin and coat health. Rather than adjusting the core nutritional profilefor the animal, the aim of the composition should be to provide suitablenutrition to the animal to ensure that the overall EFA intake of theanimal is beneficial to the animal's coat and skin, rather than tryingto correct a skin problem after the problem as already occurred.

It was concluded from the work cited above that a supplement based onflax oil, containing both ALA and LA, could beneficial for coat & skincondition in dogs. A selection of a source relatively high level in ALA(>55%) is required to achieve this effect to facilitate fasteraccumulation of LA. This is important since LA is a structural componentof the skin and plays a key role in maintaining the skin's moisturebarrier. An increase in the levels of EPA is also important since EPAcan act as an anti-inflammatory agent in the skin. In addition, it isdesirable to reduce levels of AA which is a pro-inflammatory fatty acidin the omega 6 pathway. A further finding from these papers is that theimproved skin and coat scores with flax oil alone were transitory (28days). Therefore, further development is required to achieve a longerlength of benefit, particularly for the skin.

When taking the teachings of Rees et al and Bauer et al intoconsideration, a further issue is finding an omega 3 source thatprovides sufficiently high levels of ALA. In addition, it is clear fromthe teachings of these two papers that a composition comprising omega 3or omega 6 alone, even when present in a composition at a high level, itnot sufficient to provide the desired improvement in coat and skinquality.

The omega 6 fatty acid, Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), is known to play arole in skin health, particularly as an anti-inflammatory. In the body,GLA is metabolised from LA using the delta-6-desaturase enzyme. However,as previously noted, high concentrations of ALA can compete for thisenzyme activity with LA, which may reduce the availability of GLA to theskin.

Whilst GLA (in the form of Evening Primrose Oil) has been shown toimprove skin condition in dogs (Scarff & Lloyd, 1992 (Scarff, D H; LloydD H; Double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study of eveningprimrose oil in the treatment of canine atopy. Vet. Rec. 1992;131:97-9), it is usually co-formulated with marine fish oil to achievethe anti-inflammatory effects of EPA and DHA. GLA, combined with marinefish oil (EPA and DHA) is used in several current marketed compositionsthat are sold as curative products (Coatex™, Viacutan™, Efapet™) forskin problems in dogs.

In addition, the main commercial compositions (GLA+fish oil) are basedon a curative, anti-inflammatory approach to skin health i.e. fixing aproblem that is already present. The approach behind the presentinvention is to adjust the dietary intake of EFAs such that there isless of a build up of pro-inflammatory compounds such as AA in the firstplace and to ensure key essential building blocks of the skin, such asLA and GLA, are available. This is a health maintenance approach, ratherthan a curative approach, although it will manage both situations.

Table 1 sets out an analysis of products currently available on the UKmarket:

Vitapet Vetzyme Supadog Moult Dry Omega essential Exmarid Formula SkinCoatex Efavet Viacutan Barleans pet oil omega oil Level of Nil Nil NilNil Nil Nil High Med Nil ALA (Ω3) (>50%) (<30%) Level of Low Nil MediumHigh High High Nil Nil Medium GLA (Ω6)

Since the commercial products typically lack any ALA content and so donot provide the benefits previously observed with ALA rich products, itwas decided to investigate adding GLA to see whether a synergisticeffect could be achieved on skin and coat health over and above the useof flax seed oil alone.

Therefore, the present invention resides in a composition for use as aveterinary dietary supplement comprising omega 3 and omega 6 fattyacids. It has been found that a ratio of omega 6 fatty acid(s) to omega3 fatty acid(s) of less than 1, preferably from about 0.2 to about 0.9is ideal

An important factor to be considered when developing veterinarycompositions is palatability. Therefore, a composition based on fish oilas a source of omega 3 is to be avoided as animals typically find thetaste of these oils unpalatable. As a result, the composition of thepresent invention is a phytochemical composition comprising omega 3fatty acids sourced from plants and seeds, rather than fish. TheApplicant has found that ALA provides the required omega 3 without thepalatability issues of EPA and DHA.

Phytochemicals, sometimes referred to as phytonutrients, occur naturallyin vegetables and fruit. They are compounds found in plants and have abeneficial effect on health or an active role in the amelioration ofdisease.

To provide an improved composition, the Applicant has realised that thebenefit period of the composition needs to be extended beyond twentyeight days. This has been achieved through the addition of a source ofomega 6 to the composition. Specifically, the omega 6 fatty acidcomprises GLA.

Accordingly, the solution to the problem of preparing an improvedcomposition for improving the health and quality of coat and skin inanimals has been found to be a phytochemical composition for use as aveterinary dietary supplement comprising ALA, the composition furthercomprising up to 10% GLA.

The solution to the problem resides in shifting the EFA balance fromomega 6 to omega 3, i.e. from LA to ALA. The Applicant has found that ifmore than 10% GLA is added to the composition, the source of GLA must beincreased in the composition. Since any source of GLA also includes LA,an increased amount of GLA increases the LA ratio and reduces the ratioof ALA in the composition. If the ALA ratio drops, the competitiveimpact on delta 6 desaturase is not achieved, so LA conversionout-competes ALA conversion. In turn, this leads to higher production ofAA and less EPA, so the inflammatory balance swings back topro-inflammatory.

Advantageously, ALA is present in the composition in an amount greaterthan 55%, preferably in an amount between 40% and 65%. In a preferredembodiment, the composition further comprises 14-18% LA.

Of the major available seeds that contain ALA (flax, hemp, oilseed rape,soya), only flax seed contains sufficient ALA relative to LA to provideover 55% ALA in the base composition. Therefore, a preferred source ofALA is flax seed oil. Ideally the flax seed oil is golden flax seed oilas this variety has a particularly high ALA content (58-60%) andimproved palatability (golden flax seed oil is less bitter than brownflax seed oil).

Sources of GLA are Evening Primrose Oil, Borage oil and Blackcurrantseed oil. Preferably the source of GLA in the composition is Borage oilsince Borage oil allows the inclusion of higher levels of GLA withoutdramatically affecting the ratios of ALA and LA in the product.

In a preferred embodiment, the composition of the invention comprises55% ALA and 1% GLA. To achieve the desired levels of ALA, the minimumingredient level that flax seed oil can be as part of the compositionmix is 95%. If the remainder of the composition is borage oil (5%), thisprovides a GLA content of 1%. Alternatively, to achieve the minimumdesired levels of ALA in a composition, the composition may consist of aminimum ingredient level of 86% flax seed oil and 14% borage oil. Thisprovides a composition comprising about 43% ALA and approximately 3%GLA. Evening Primrose Oil may be used as an alternative to borage oil.

In a yet further preferred embodiment, the composition further comprisesabout 14-23% LA.

Depending on the sources of ALA and GLA, the composition may alsocomprise linoleic acid (omega 6) and oleic acid (omega 9) as well asshort chain fatty acids.

Advantageously, the composition further comprises Vitamin E to helpextend the period of benefit gained from the composition and to act asan anti-oxidant. EFAs, particularly ALA, are susceptible to oxidativeattack by free radicals, reducing both their availability andfunctionality in the body. Vitamin E is believed to play a role inmaintaining EFA integrity both in the composition, maintainingavailability in the body and maintaining functionality of the EFAswithin the skin's metabolism.

Preferably the Vitamin E is provided by a naturally occurring Vitamin Esource, such as d-alpha tocopherol

The National Research Council recommends the addition of 1.6 mg VitaminE per gram of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid (PUFA) to counter the increasedoxidative risk associated with addition of PUFAs to the diet. Therefore,the preferred level of Vitamin E in the composition is between 0.2% and0.05%. Ideally, Vitamin E is provided by the addition of d-alphatocopherol in an amount of between 1670 mg/kg d-alpha tocopherol (atmanufacture) and 480 mg/kg d-alpha tocopherol (at best before date.There are many possible sources of Vitamin, in particular synthetictocopherol acetates which are more shelf stable but have less biologicalactivity. Natural d-alpha tocopherol is preferred, to maximisebioavailability and activity or the composition.

In another aspect, the present invention lies in the use of acomposition of the invention as a dietary supplement for the maintenanceof skin and coat health on an animal selected from the list comprisingcat, cow, dog, gerbil, guinea pig, hamster, horse, mouse, rabbit andrat.

The present invention will now be further described by way of anon-limiting example, in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is an illustration of a Visual Analogue Scale question forgeneral skin condition;

FIG. 2 shows a statistically significant improvement in general coatcondition at both day 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Dull,dry & coarse’ to ‘Shiny & soft’;

FIG. 3 shows a statistically significant improvement in general skincondition at both day 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Dry &flaky’ to ‘Moist & supple’;

FIG. 4 shows a statistically significant improvement in coat shininessat both day 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Very dull’ to‘Very shiny’;

FIG. 5 shows a statistically significant improvement in hair loss atboth day 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Loses lots ofhair’ to ‘Hardly loses any hair’. N.B Higher score=less hair loss;

FIG. 6 shows sub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for pruritis(as measured by scratching) illustrating a dramatic reduction inscratching. (NB High score=less scratching).

FIG. 7 shows sub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for scurfiness(described as dandruff) illustrating a dramatic reduction in scurfiness.(NB−High score=less scurfiness);

FIG. 8 shows a statistically significant improvement in activeness atday 42, but not at day 21, with a directional move from ‘Lethargic &bored’ to ‘Keen to play & active’; and

FIG. 9 shows sub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for improvementin eye shininess illustrating a dramatic increase in eye shininess inthese animals.

To prove functionality of the composition, a scientific study on 62 dogswas conducted to measure changes in skin and coat condition during a 6week feeding programme. Skin and coat condition scores were recorded atday 0, day 21 and day 42. Mean scores for skin and coat conditionimproved at day 21 and at day 42. The continued improvement in skin andcoat condition scores at day 42 demonstrates an improvement over theprevious observations by Rees et al, 2001, where use of flax oil aloneonly provided improvement in condition up to 28 days, after whichcondition stabilised or declined. The continued improvement in skin andcoat condition in this study suggests that the inclusion of GLA withflax oil leads to a synergistic effect on skin and coat condition overand above that achievable with flax oil alone.

METHODOLOGY

A total of 62 dogs were selected from a consumer research panel. Anydogs already receiving EFA supplements, suffering vet diagnoseddiseases, known to be suffering from fleas or pregnant/lactating wereexcluded from the study. Owners were then asked to complete a VisualAnalogue Scale (VAS) form in the presence of the research manager torecord the condition of their dog. For each condition componentmeasured, owners were asked to mark the condition of their dog on a 100mm line, where each end of the line represented the opposite extreme ofa condition (see FIG. 1). Owners were asked to place a vertical mark onthe line at the place that best represented their dog's conditionrelative to the two extremes. The form was then collected from theowner.

Owners were then asked to feed their dogs the composition of theinvention at the recommended rate for their size of dog (approx 5 ml/10kg body weight) for a period of six weeks. The composition was made upof 95% golden flax oil and 5% borage oil providing approximately 55%ALA, approximately 15% LA and 1-2% GLA. The composition was added to thedog's main meal.

At 21 days, the owners were visited and asked to complete a second VASto record the condition of the dog at the 3 week stage. This was alsocollected from the owner at the time to ensure they had no record oftheir previous scores. At 42 days, owners completed the final VASrecord.

All scores were then converted into a 100 point system and analysed.Seven owners dropped out of the trial during progress, and a furtherfour were excluded from the analysis due to errors in data collection.

During the program a total of seven of the original sixty two dogsdiscontinued the study. A further four dogs were excluded from thestatistical analysis due to incorrect or incomplete recording of VASrecord sheets during the study. Analysis was conducted on the PerProtocol (PP) population (51 dogs), with the results shown below.Statistical analysis was conducted using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test.

Results

1. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in astatistically significant improvement in general coat condition at bothday 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Dull, dry & coarse’ to‘Shiny & soft’ (FIG. 3).

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q10. At the moment, what is the overall condition of their coat? Shinyand soft ------------------------------------------------ Dull coarseand dry W = n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 delta−738 48 −3.78 0.0001 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −442 51 −2.07 0.0192Change from Day 0 to Day 42 −833 50 −4.02 <0.0001

2. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in astatistically significant improvement in general skin condition at bothday 21 and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Dry & flaky’ to ‘Moist& supple’ (FIG. 4).

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q7. At the moment, what is the overall condition of their skin? Dry &flaky ----------------------------------------------------- Moist andsupple W = n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −559 51−2.62 0.0044 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −715 51 −3.35 0.0004 Changefrom Day 0 to Day 42 −916 51 −4.29 <0.0001

3. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in astatistically significant improvement in coat shininess at both day 21and day 42, with a directional move from ‘Very dull’ to ‘Very shiny’(FIG. 5).

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q4. At the moment, how shiny is your dog's coat? Very Dull---------------------------------------------------------------- Veryshiny W = n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −766 50−3.69 0.0001 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −708 50 −3.41 0.0003 Changefrom Day 0 to Day 42 −1050 49 −5.22 <0.0001

4. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in astatistically significant improvement in hair loss at both day 21 andday 42, with a directional move from ‘Loses lots of hair’ to ‘Hardlyloses any hair’ (FIG. 6). N.B Higher score=less hair loss

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q8. At the moment, does your dog lose much hair? Hardly loses any hair------------------------------------------ Loses lots of hair W =n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −506 50 −2.44 0.0073Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −361 49 −1.79 0.0367 Change from Day 0 toDay 42 −676 50 −3.26 0.0006

5. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in asmall but statistically significant reduction in pruritis (as measuredby scratching) at day 42, but not at day 21, with a directional movefrom ‘Scratching all the time’ to ‘Not scratching at all’. FIG. 7 showssub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for this character showed adramatic reduction in scratching. (NB−High score=less scratching).

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q5. At the moment does your dog itch or scratch much? Not scratching atall ------------------------------------- Scratching all the time W =n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −327 48 −1.67 0.0475Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −296 47 −1.56 0.0594 Change from Day 0 toDay 42 −478 50 −2.3 0.0107

6. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in asmall but statistically significant reduction in scurfiness (describedas dandruff) at day 42, but not at day 21, with a directional move from‘Suffers badly from dandruff’ to ‘Doesn't get dandruff at all’.Sub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for this character showed adramatic reduction in scurfiness. (NB−High score=less scurfiness).

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q9. At the moment, does your dog suffer with any dandruff problems?Suffers badly from dandruff ----------------------- Doesn't get dandruffat all W = n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −70 47−0.37 0.3557 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −622 48 −3.19 0.0007 Changefrom Day 0 to Day 42 −379 47 −2 0.0228

7. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in astatistically significant improvement in activeness at day 42, but notat day 21, with a directional move from ‘Lethargic & bored’ to ‘Keen toplay & active’.

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

1. Over the last couple of days, how would you describe your dog'sgeneral behaviour? Lethargic & bored---------------------------------------- Keen to play & active W =n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) P(2-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −295 50−1.42 0.0778 0.1556 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −198 48 −1.01 0.15620.3125 Change from Day 0 to Day 42 −694 51 −3.25 0.0006 0.0012

8. Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in asmall but statistically significant improvement in eye shininess at day42, but not at day 21, with a directional move from ‘Dull & cloudy’ to‘Bright & shiny’. Sub-analysis of the bottom quartile of dogs for thischaracter also showed a dramatic increase in eye shininess.

Wilcoxon Statistical Analysis:

Q15. At the moment, how would you describe your dog's eyes? Dull &Cloudy --------------------------------------------------- Bright andshiny W = n_(s/r) = z = P(1-tail) Change from Day 0 to Day 21 −219 49−1.09 0.1379 Change from Day 21 to Day 42 −639 46 −3.49 0.0002 Changefrom Day 0 to Day 42 −628 48 −3.22 0.0006In summary:

a) Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period result in thefollowing statistically significant improvements at both day 21 and day42:

-   -   Improvement in general coat condition    -   Improvement in general skin condition    -   Improvement in coat shininess    -   Reduction in hair loss

b) Consumption of the composition over a 6 week period resulted in thefollowing statistically significant improvements at day 42 only. Theaverage improvement on

1-22. (canceled)
 23. A method of maintaining or improving skin healthand/or pelage quality of an animal, said method comprising:administering to an animal as a dietary supplement in an amounteffective for maintaining or improving skin health and/or pelage qualityof an animal, a phytochemical composition comprising: (a) a source ofOmega-3 fatty acid comprising alpha linolenic acid (ALA); and (b) asource of Omega-6 fatty acid comprising up to 10% of gamma linolenicacid (GLA), wherein said composition comprises ALA in an amount rangingfrom 40-65%.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein the source of Omega-6fatty acid comprising GLA is chosen from Evening Primrose Oil, Borageoil, Blackcurrant seed oil and combinations thereof.
 25. The method ofclaim 23, wherein the source of Omega-3 fatty acid comprising ALAcomprises at least 86% flax seed oil.
 26. The method of claim 23,wherein the source of Omega-6 fatty acid comprising GLA is present inthe composition in an amount of up to 10%.
 27. The method of claim 23,wherein the composition comprises ALA in an amount of at least 55%. 28.The method of claim 27, wherein the composition comprises flax seed oiland borage oil.
 29. The method of claim 28, further comprising EveningPrimrose Oil.
 30. The method of claim 23, wherein the compositionconsists of 95% flax seed oil and 5% borage oil.
 31. The method of claim23, wherein the composition further comprises linoleic acid (LA). 32.The method of claim 31, wherein the linoleic acid (LA) is present in thecomposition in an amount ranging from 14 to 23%.
 33. The method of claim23, wherein the composition further comprises Vitamin E in an amountranging from 0.2% to 0.05%.
 34. The method of claim 33, wherein theVitamin E source is d-alpha tocopherol.
 35. The method of claim 34,wherein the d-alpha tocopherol is present in an amount ranging from 1670mg/kg to 480 mg/kg.
 36. The method of claim 23, wherein theadministering to the animal comprises administering to an animal chosenfrom cats, cows, dogs, gerbils, guinea pigs, hamsters, horses, mice, andrabbits.